1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to concrete foundation systems and more specifically it relates to a concrete footing and wall system for increasing the efficiency in forming concrete foundations for building structures.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Concrete forms and similar structures have been in use for years. When creating a concrete foundation, the footings are first poured to provide a solid base to construct the concrete walls upon. After the footings have hardened, forms are positioned about the footings extending upwardly forming a hollow space between which is filled with concrete and allowed to harden with the forms removed thereby forming the concrete wall for a basement or similar structure.
The main problem with conventional concrete foundation systems is that they require a significant amount of labor to construct. In additional conventional concrete foundation systems require a plurality of forms that are expensive to purchase and maintain. Further, conventional concrete foundation systems require the footings to be formed and hardened prior to forming the wall portion of a concrete foundation thereby requiring a significant amount of time to construct and requiring a crew of workers to return to the work site twice to perform work.
Examples of patented concrete systems include U.S. Pat. No. 5,882,540 to Farrington; U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,761 to Schultz; U.S. Pat. No. 5,922,236 to Zuhl; U.S. Pat. No. 6,016,633 to Elwart; U.S. Pat. No. 6,158,710 to Matthews; U.S. Pat. No. 3,195,852 to Lundell.
While these devices may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, they are not as suitable for increasing the efficiency in forming concrete foundations for building structures. Conventional concrete foundation systems are expensive to utilize and inefficient when forming a concrete foundation.
In these respects, the concrete footing and wall system according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of increasing the efficiency in forming concrete foundations for building structures.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of concrete foundation systems now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new concrete footing and wall system construction wherein the same can be utilized for increasing the efficiency in forming concrete foundations for building structures.
The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new concrete footing and wall system that has many of the advantages of the concrete foundation systems mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new concrete footing and wall system which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art concrete foundation systems, either alone or in any combination thereof.
To attain this, the present invention generally comprises a first preformed wall, a second preformed wall connected to the first preformed wall, and a lower reservoir formed within the lower portions of the walls for receiving a volume of concrete. The walls are distally spaced apart and receive a volume of concrete along with the reservoir being filled. The reservoir is preferably comprised of a flexible material such as plastic or textile. The walls are supported a finite distance in a level manner above a ground surface by the usage of a plurality of support members. The reservoir has a pair of end openings which allows the concrete to merge and bond with adjacent walls and reservoirs.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and that will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of the description and should not be regarded as limiting.
A primary object of the present invention is to provide a concrete footing and wall system that will overcome the shortcomings of the prior art devices.
A second object is to provide a concrete footing and wall system for increasing the efficiency in forming concrete foundations for building structures.
Another object is to provide a concrete footing and wall system that eliminates forming concrete footings and walls separately.
An additional object is to provide a concrete footing and wall system that reduces the amount of time and labor required to construct a concrete foundation.
A further object is to provide a concrete footing and wall system that does not require the usage of concrete forms.
Another object is to provide a concrete footing and wall system that conforms easily to irregular terrain and creates footings that are formed to the contours of the ground surface.
A further object is to provide a concrete footing and wall system that requires less training for employees.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become obvious to the reader and it is intended that these objects and advantages are within the scope of the present invention.
To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, this invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only, and that changes may be made in the specific construction illustrated and described within the scope of the appended claims.